The bill to establish a court dedicated to insurrection cases passed the National Assembly.
On the 23rd, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed a revised alternative to the "special bill on establishing a dedicated court for the Dec. 3 Yoon Suk-yeol emergency martial law case and protecting whistleblowers." This is the so-called bill to establish a court dedicated to insurrection cases. The vote passed with 175 in favor, 2 against, and 2 abstentions out of 179 present.
The People Power Party strongly opposed the passage of the bill. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok personally launched a filibuster and held a 24-hour opposition debate. When voting began on the motion to end unlimited debate ahead of the bill's vote, People Power Party lawmakers left the chamber.
People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seog said, "This law must never pass the National Assembly and take effect," adding, "Even if this law passes the National Assembly today, we will immediately demand that President Lee Jae-myung exercise the right to request reconsideration."
After the bill to establish a court dedicated to insurrection cases passed the National Assembly, an amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection was placed on the plenary agenda under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea. The bill includes provisions for punitive damages that would hold media outlets, YouTubers, and others liable for up to five times the damages if they intentionally spread illegal, false, or manipulated information to obtain undue gains and cause harm to others.
The Democratic Party of Korea said it is a bill to eradicate false or manipulated information, but the People Power Party pushed back, calling it a "muzzle law." The People Power Party also launched a filibuster against the amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. The first debater was People Power Party lawmaker Choi Su-jin.